There is a club or team for virtually every area of interest, and all of our students – from Kindergarten to Grade 12 – are encouraged to explore and develop all passions and talents, both new and longstanding.

Visual Arts

The visual language of art is universal. As artists, students learn to develop skills and techniques to see, interpret, and communicate the world around this using a unique language. Our arts program is designed to foster imagination and originality, while empowering students as both artist and learner of the arts.

Students take part in courses which are stimulating and challenging, yet flexible. Smaller class sizes allow for greater individual attention as our students discover themselves as artists. As students develop, so too do the concepts and their complexity, building on three foundational focuses: drawing, painting, and ceramics. Students are encouraged to make increasingly independent choices of imagery, artistic elements, design strategies, and media to express themselves.

Students are given multiple ways to express themselves in the visual language, and build their repertoire of artistic skills and knowledge of art and art history through hands-on activities: students examine discoveries by artists from different times, places, and cultures and make choices about – and not simply copy – how to achieve the images and ideas they wish to convey.

All students in grades 2 through 7 have class time with our specialist art teacher. The program is designed to build in scope and sequence as students evolve as artists, providing the fundamentals for their education in the Senior Visual Arts Program.

In Junior Arts, it’s all about making authentic connections with the IB Units of Inquiry. Lessons are designed to expand the context of what students explore in their regular classes, developing deeper investigation, thinking, and learning.

Students practice a variety of visual arts skills and techniques, and are introduced to approaches to multi-media and materials. Right from grade 2, students create both two-dimensional and three-dimensional art pieces, working in a bevy of mediums: paper and drawing, watercolour and acrylics, clay modeling, ceramics, and printmaking. Students develop all plans and ideas on their own.

About the Junior Art Studio: Prepare to get hands-on in the junior art studio – artist smocks are a must! Students are encouraged to get creative with a variety of hands on activities, projects, and art history lessons. The studio offers a spacious, well-organized creative space where students can work individually or collaboratively at large workspaces. Artists have at their disposal a bevy of supplies to explore all artistic mediums, including: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpting, creating ceramics (glazed and fired on site in our kiln!), batik, sewing, weaving, beading, and jewelry-making.

About the Senior Art Studio: Inspired by artists, for artists: the senior art studio is a spacious room with high vaulted ceilings and is lit by skylights which let the natural, north-facing beam in. The studio is outfitted with design tables, easels and drawing boards – the latter two can be picked up and brought outside when inspiration strikes! Beside the bank of windows, a wall of cork panels is available for students who wish to work vertically or on larger pieces. The studio is equipped with a ceramic kiln, large format clay extruder, and a styrofoam carving tool and scroll wire to support exploration in all artistic mediums.

learning to live well, with others and for others, in a just community

Meadowridge is an independent, private, coeducational, secular, preparatory, International Baccalaureate (IB) school teaching students from Junior Kindergarten (pre-k) to Grade 12, located in British Columbia near Vancouver. Meadowridge was founded in 1985 and has a current enrolment of 635 students representing over 40 nationalities.